An Opportunity For Theft [Nocme & Valeria]

[Valeria]

By early evening, the drowning sounds of the vehicles in central Roa had died down, yet the excitement in the city was just rising. Particularly in one casino, the floor consisted of a sea of heads, alerted towards a podium where the casino owner stood, a stout man with few strands of grey hair who was waving to well-dressed crowd. He squinted his eyes, perhaps to show an irritation towards the flashing cameras while gesturing towards a box covered in white cloth.

Hidden within the shadows of a series of exhaust vents in the adjacent building, a black-haired girl was watching him unveil a machine, with an unfamiliar format of the roulette table on a nearby screen.

Looks like a new roulette wheel layout, she mused as she carefully packed her small blades into her pocket. Opening her notebook, she passed the sections of puzzle diagrams, and stopped at a page with her rough labelled sketch of the building. The living quarters were in the upper floors of the casino building, most likely what she was seeking would be there.

An event and an update in the games at one of her usual gambling grounds? Most likely, there may be upgrades to their fraud-detection technology, or even a renewal of business operations. Whatever change that was approaching, Valeria needed to know. If it came useful, she could bargain it with a casino billionaire.

She turned to the TV screen on a taller building, at the corner where the time was indicated. A flicker of shadow glided past, in the silhouette of a winged figure, far too large for a common bird in the urban environment.

She blinked, and the gliding shadow had seemed to have dissolved into the pools of neon lights. Checking the time on the screen almost seven, she shrugged before taking a few steps back, and crouched into position.

The wind died down, she bolted forth. In mere seconds, her feet leaped off the edge and her hair disappeared into the light. Below at the event party, there was a round of cheering which muffled the soft thud on the rooftop of the casino building.

[Nocme]

Roa isn’t one of the places that Nocme liked. The hustle and bustle of a city life always annoyed her. However at the same time she couldn’t ever complain about lack of food. Rich folks always have so many in excess they wouldn’t possibly missed it if some are stolen right under their nose. Not to mention they probably could lose a few pounds around their fat body.

Unfortunately it came with many downsides. One, she has to give up her comfy poncho and has to switch to something more form fitting and discrete. Much harder to hide who she was with it. Her only other defence was a gas mask she stole from some collector – he has 20 he won’t miss this one. The air was also reeked, she pity the anthropes who are caught in this land. It always stink of oil and some ungodly chemical stench, like there was no one telling them not to do dangerous magic to hurt their land. She could already some triglyceride forming at the corner of the alleyways.

Another problem was Dace, just the same usual problem of albino Xavar stood out EVERYWHERE. He also hated the fact the only way he could stay hidden is to cover himself in soot, which feels absolutely disgusting on his feathers. They also get shaken off as he flew around the city looking for new food location, or money target, so he couldn’t stay in flight for too long and has to time his descent with location of his friend. At least there are enough statues around the place so he could easily pretend to be a doll or some weird bleached taxidermy.

After circling around the city a few times, where the edge of his wing begins to show the white again, he finally spots something interesting. It looks like a party is happening at a casino, plenty of rich dudes because of those flashing cameras. Seeing it, and some weird shadow coming down from the side, Dace quickly flew back.

Nocme waited quietly on a nearby rooftop, huddling close in the shadow waiting for her friend to return. Though she always hoped he used a normal way to greet her, not just dive bomb on her head and tumble in her lap. It took quite a bit of her willpower to not screech out and just tease the bird back.

“Found a place?” she huffed after getting her heartrate down. Dace cawed a few time and that is enough to tell her what he saw and what they should do. With an understanding nod, Nocme sneak out of her hiding place and begin to climb. It might take a while to climb water pipe, but it’s better than using the front door.

[Valeria]

Feeling the impact of a solid surface on her back, her body rolled a few times before she steadied herself behind a solar panel. Her eyes, sharpened with alert and determination, darted towards the shed with the only door on the roof leading into the building.

With head kept low, she ran towards the door, while keeping her nimble feet only in the shadows. Every couple of seconds, there was a glance at the neighbouring buildings, with outlines of figures moving through a panel of lights.

On reaching the shed, she pressed her back on the wall, next to the door. There was another round of cheering from below. Silently, she raised her left hand clenched, and knocked on the door sharply.

A couple of seconds followed by silence from the other side of the door, ignoring the humming of the exhaust vents. She grimaced hearing another roar of excitement from below. Before she could muse on what it could have been about, the focus was returned back to her obligation.

The door burst open with several kicks, and she leaned her head in. The street lights only illuminated the stairs leading to the lower level, a couple of crinkled cardboard boxes, and pipes tinted with rust. She raised her eyebrows at seeing the familiar room. The roof was still the most neglected area in the entire building, with the lack of cameras or even a broom to remove the cobwebs on the pipes.

Stepping onto the box directly below the ventilation chute, she hoisted her upper body onto the metal surface. She turned around to ensure that the door had been left slightly ajar, then faced back towards the darkness beyond the ventilation pipe.

From here on, her memory of the previous “expedition” here would be of little help, if he had really made larger renovations to his office. She could be crawling in these chute tunnels for a longer time than she wished, depending on how well she could predict his usual living habits.

[Nocme]

It took longer than it should to get in the building, mostly because guards are patrolling and party goers keep going to a window. Forcing Nocme to stay still and wait till they pass, or look for a completely different window to go in. Even after going in she still have trouble with the numerous people wondering around. Dace on the other hand seems to be doing fine by sticking to the ceiling which was fortunately pure white, plus no one want to look up to the bright fluorescent light.

Thus now they just have to keep feeling their sacks with cookies and bread, also eat everything that no one is paying attention to. Dace dive down easily to take all the salmon biscuit or whatever those little things are. Cookies and bread are non-perishable enough to be stuffed into sacks and ready for the travel. Too bad they can’t carry so much, if they could they would have cleared the whole floor of food.

Then she heard it. A very faint thump.

Carefully Nocme adjust the bandanas covering her head, exposing her elf ear properly to hear it. Sounds like someone else manage to sneak in. Best to get out of here and not bother with them, from past experience other thieves or assassins tend to be aggressive in trying not to get their mark. She rather just back off and look for something easier.

Unfortunately Dace doesn’t share the same sentiment. Nocme could stare with wide eyes at the bird sneaking into a woman’s massive dress and get carried out of the room. There wasn’t even enough time to think she has to get to him before the door close and him getting lost somewhere in the mansion.

Quietly she threw open a window, forcing a strong wind to pass through. A simple easy distraction that allows her to bolt out of the room and chase after the lady, sneaking behind her carefully and wait for Dace to finish having his fun and come out. It just took a long time, at least in her perspective. The lady keep going and pausing at every mirror at every other party goer and taking leisurely twist and turn. She wouldn’t be surprised if they got lost because of that.

Soon Dace finally flew out of the dress, beak clutching something shiny. “You greedy little bastard,” she hissed at him as the xavar joined her behind the couch. Though like usual, he is completely unapologetic and was even proud of the little trinket he stole. Apparently it’s a key card for something, most likely a vault or something or some bedroom. To be fair the lady does seems like a lover with the way she seems to be familiar with the mansion’s layout.

“So give this ago?” Nocme asked, but smiled just as cheekily as the bird. They are inside and still undetected, they have the key card for something special. Might as well try it! Even if the card is absolutely useless, they could still try and steal some money from other party goers, this way they are set to travel for many miles.

[Valeria]

She huffed in annoyance, recalling the confusion in the last several minutes. Unfortunately, it was difficult to perceive where she was in the chute, resulting in a detour, where she could distinctively hear the echoing of the chattering from the party. Either, they had planned to move the event throughout the evening, or she had clearly gotten lost within the labyrinth of metal tunnels and ended up near the event venue. The thought of getting lost possibly brought a faint sense of insecurity within her.

While crawling along, her thoughts wandered back to what she had seen when she had stumbled upon the crowded room. From above, there was the usual cliques of nobles, with the owner himself shaking hands with someone whom she didn’t recognise. Her shoulders had jolted in surprise and bumped to the wall in the chute, at seeing at something white glide by past a table fast, like a tablecloth spread out in an instant only to vanish in the next second.
At that very instant, she was convinced there was a shadow projected on the ground, travelling fast as a child’s flying plane. But nothing happened after observing a little longer, other than the women who were idly conversing directly below.

Her mind was back at the present when her fingers grasped onto metallic slits on her right side.

With ease, she pulled the slit cover away and peered through, finding herself looking at the corner of an empty guest parlour. An unlit room, with no sound of breathing, or even the glare of a camera lens, it was certain that it is somewhere closer to the more private rooms.
Crawling along further and checking a couple more times, she finally was looking at a room that looked like a study. Judging by the quality of the desk and chair, no doubt it was an office for anyone less important than the secretary. Softly, she landed on the carpet. There was little sound, other than the street vehicles. When an ear was pressed against the door, she could hear nothing.

Outside, the study the corridor was just as dark and unoccupied. Before closing the door again, she noted that all these doors each had a card-reader attached, and there were no keyholes in the doorknobs.

Currently the best way to get around anywhere would be by the chute.

She walked over to the cabinets of documents, with a finger ghosting over the titles. Her hand stopped at a folder labelled with “Project Karnaval”. The gloved hand slid out the folder, and opened. In the corner of the room, she placed with it on the floor while taking out a mobile device.

With the phone now illuminating as a flashlight, she skimmed over the pages, skimming over the summary of the report. It was very soon, there were the sounds of a beep close by, and the click of a door opening. The lights from her phone flickered off, and she held her breath to listen.

[Nocme]

It actually didn’t take the duo long to find out just how useful the key card is. So far they manage to get into two kitchens and swap out some fancy food to some more sensible ingredients, and took a lot of salt. They also manage to get into plenty of large wardrobe room and have a ball doodling on the dresses or cut holes at particular places. Dace seems to prefer cutting holes just so the nipple will show. Nocme was torn between laughing and wanting to hit the bird for such crude joke, however she just settle with drawing dicks on the back of every top hat with permanent marker.

Another usefulness was hiding from the guards. Unless they are required to they literally can’t enter some room, which was great when there were several close call and they just duck inside a room and make noises by pinching their throat and made the guards horribly embarrassed and Dace going into a laughing fit. It happens more often as she entered the darker part of the mansion, away from bubbling chatter and ringing laughter of the party.

Nocme keep her ears sharp while Dace kept an eye around the area. At the first sign of footstep she goes to the closest door and press her ear to the wood, waiting for as long as possible before the pair of guards turn the corner. She could hear very little, but time run out for them and she has to use the key card and slip inside as quickly as possible. Within in the dark room her eye has to take a moment to adjust, but based on the sound they should be alone. “Okay guess we need to wait this one out,” Nocme finally said after hearing the slow footstep of the guards outside. They linger at the doorway, and by the sounds of it they couldn't really hear what is going on in the room.

Dace however did not caw out like usual, instead he tighten his claw on her arm. Immediately she realize they might have made a mistake of entering this room. She could feel breathing, the subtle shift of air of another living being in the room. However she couldn’t spot the person. Is it a child playing hide and seek? Or the one she noted crawling around in the air duct?

Either way she didn’t want to draw their attention. It’s better that they don’t know that she know they are in the room, they probably would leave the moment she stop paying attention. Although thanks to the guards outside the door they can’t do anything until she was certain they are far enough. In the meantime it shouldn’t be too big of a problem to snoop around, maybe there will be something useful as bargaining chip just in case they get caught.

Quietly she walk to the cabinet, looking carefully at which being opened. Then proceed to check which file could be missing. Based on naming it should be a project of some sort since all other files are named similarly. During the time she was tense, her other hand is on her hip where a dagger is just sliding gently out of its holster.

If worse comes to worse she won’t be defenseless at all.

[Valeria]

In the corner of the office, she curled further against the wall, behind a potted plant. The door was softly locked again with a soft click.

“Okay guess we need to wait this one out,” a female voice whispered, raising the likelihood of more than one person. There was a long moment of silence, giving Valeria ample time to catch a few footsteps and sounds from outside. Her face twitched slightly in an unhappy manner.

Did they lure guards here?

They certainly did seem to be acting in secret, judging by their strange behaviour compared to anyone drunk in the atmosphere of the dinner this evening. There was a lack of any footsteps accompanying the soft vibration on the carpet she sat on.

Stealthy as like an assassin or professional thief, she evaluated grimly. If they were indeed so, her experiences of running along rooftops and backstabbing security guards places her in the disadvantage.

With half of her face sheltered by the leaves of the plant, she raised her head slightly to peer. From the strips of lights outside the window, outlines of a taller figure could be made out. Being within the dark for more than half an hour, the dark blue eyes had adjusted to the surroundings, noting a glowing white bird perched on the arm of a woman. The size was hiding a large portion of the cabinet.

At this, her heart jumped internally, remembering in the where she retrieved the project folder from. The suspected woman was standing right in front of the cabinet that was foolishly left open. Even if she stayed silent, there was no doubt that it would alert suspicion of the stranger and the animal of another person, especially one who deliberately kept silent like an animal waiting to pounce.

A simulation of an escape route played in her mind as, while her right hand gripped on her pocket knives in her pocket. In an instant, a knife throw could distract the woman. Assuming if she deflected it unharmed, it would surprise the bird, wouldn’t give enough time to jump to the corner from where she jumped into the room.

It wasn’t the only option, the other being setting up a bargain between them. However, there was a high possibility that this stranger had no need of a mere proposal document. She clenched her hands tighter to restrain any trembling, this wasn’t the first time this has happened.

“Hey, looking for something?”

[Nocme]

The sudden voice makes her jump in her skin a little, something quite difficult to spot if you aren’t staring at her for it. She didn’t expect the other person to actually speak to her. More often she expect the other to attack her or quietly sneak out while she feigns ignorance. However since she already said something might as well reply back.

Dace turn his head a little to let his glowing red eye stare back at the source of sound. It would be the brightest light in the dim room and has some creep factor with small red vapours trailing out. He stared for a long time unblinking, and judging. Is this one going to be a hostile? Or is she just another one of those trying to make a living in this iron god-forsaken land?

Nocme only just glance from the corner of her eye not turning her body to address the figure hiding behind the potted plant. “Didn’t expect you to actually reveal yourself though,” yes she sort of ignored her question but there is little reason for her to answer anyway. Since she wasn’t really looking for anything, they only come to this building because of a party and thus free food. Maybe some coins and some childish prank is thrown in the mix but they don’t really steal anything that is not necessary for their survival.

“Thief? Since you ask what I am looking for,” It doesn’t matter much to her either way, she still kept her other hand on the dagger. Casually with her other hand she lifts up a folder and open it up, not really reading the content. Just want to see the other’s reaction. By the fact she chose to reveal herself when she approach the cabinet it means there are something valuable in there. It could be the one she is holding right now or the girl still hasn’t really found her target and afraid she would mess it up.

[Valeria]

If she didn’t reply, it would have been difficult to judge whether the woman was surprised or not. Knowing that her hiding spot had been given away, her face was unfazed in seeing the other turn her face towards the direction.

For the moment it seemed like a wise choice was, the woman had indeed noticed there were more than just her and the bird in the room. Staying quiet may have given her the intent to attack. The beating of her heart steadied a little more at this.

The white bird’s eyes pierced towards her slowly, as if evaluating her. Red eyes and white feathers, this was indeed a very rare bird. Its glare in the dark was fierce, but the claws didn’t look as intimidating as a hawk that belonged to her friend. Not a hunting bird, most likely.  

Her cautious nature wasn’t hidden, when she diverted the questioning back at Valeria. She had no intention of showing what she needed, similar to general suspicious people other experiences.

“If it makes you comfortable, you can think of me as one.” She shrugged, pretending to be more carefree than she was. She liked to consider herself much, much more than just a thief. Usually those who were living in the slums had considered little about intangible assets, though.

She watched her lift up a document. Odd, she had opened the folder as if to read even though there was no light. Clearly she wouldn’t be able to see anything but the document title if the woman couldn’t even pinpoint where she was hiding by sight. From what she said when she first entered the room, whether it was to wait out on the guards or something else, Valeria concluded that she had no true purpose to be checking any room that had shelves of paper.

“As such, you can assume I have what I came for.” She added, restraining to sound as civil as possible.

There was no recorded copy of it on the phone, but the image of a particular page of lists resurfaced in her mind. The names within some of the list had alerted a much darker, and forgotten part of her mind, but she would have been much relieved to leave it for another night and escape uninjured.

[Nocme]

Despite her honest attempt, Nocme still can hear the restraint in the tone. After all she does the same thing when confronted with a guard and they haven’t yet point their weapon at her yet.  Dace stare at the girl for longer before making a snorting sound. Obviously knowing that the girl got parts of what she want, but that isn’t the end of her job. It made Nocme a bit curious on what the girl was actually looking for.

“You don’t have to tell me. I am not going to pry,” Nocme said simply, putting everything back into the cabinet. Since she always wear glove when in Maquina she wasn’t too worried about leaving finger prints behind, even though it was a moot point since they could never get her prints in the first place, but you can never be too careful. However she remembered something she heard in the party. It was not exactly written in the party invite so she wasn’t sure if the other know of this, “I expect you will get out of here before they start the treasure hunt game downstairs, the old fart sure know how to throw a party.”

She look up to stare at the vent, it is the most likely place the girl come from, since there was no window and she came through the only door and she has the master key card. So there is very little way to get out of the mansion that won’t get them caught and interrogated, worse for her with the Lavate brand still fairly visible underneath the scars.

However before more could be done she heard something else. Footstep, they are close and they are heavy. “Guards,” she hissed before quickly position herself behind the door and Dace squirmed under her cloak to hide the feather quickly. Just in time as the simple beep of door unlocking and the light turn on. Nocme held her breath and stood absolutely still. Her senses grew sharper quietly, where she could hear each little breath from the guard at the door way and from there she waited patiently until the guards had enough and close the door behind them. Though they are staying there for quite a bit of time...

Have we been found out?

[Valeria]

Hearing the bird snort at what she had said left a rather flash of irritation. However, having them being less wary of her was the least troublesome, and had proven to be beneficial. Neither the woman nor the bird had a threatening or wary tone now.

As she closed the cabinet in a fashion to remove any traces, she told of a building-wide treasure hunting game. Raising her eyebrows at how the casino worker was addressed, Valeria could only agree that indeed he had planned for a rather grand party, as she noticed the woman seemed to be facing the corner where she came from. Come to think of it, how did she obtain a key card in her hands?

“You’re right, staying here – “

The words were stopped abruptly in hearing footsteps, pounding heavily on the ground beyond the door. Remaining in her position in the corner of the room, she held the folder in her hand closer, as the shadow of the woman raced behind the door, just as the corridor light filtered through. It expanded to the shape of a door, where one of the two guards flicked on the switch.

The lights flickered on, and Valeria squinted immediately from the sudden contrast, even though half of her vision was shaded by leaves. The opened door had blocked her view, but she guessed the woman was capable of keeping quiet. The two guards entirely clothed in black had remained by the door. They raised a rifle, pointing it around the room silently. Due to their mask, where they were looking at was a mystery, as their helmets had not turned at all.

The two nodded at each other before turning the light off, and closing the door behind them.
It was quite a long time before the footsteps had lightened then finally faded, and the line of orange below the door frame had flickered off, Valeria pushed herself from her rigid sitting position against the wall.

“We’ve been here for too long.” She muttered while taking a final picture of the list that intrigued her earlier. It was fortunate that these documents would be known within the company main staff, there wasn’t too much fuss about things that are stored on public archives.

Too much fuss, the thought echoed in her mind. As much as he didn’t trust his clients, that would have been unfavourable to send such intimidating guards.

With a quick glimpse at the time, she decided that any guesses would have to wait after escaping this room. Now standing up at full height, she looked between the bird and the woman taller than her, and an amused question in mind.

“Well, are you using the door again?”

[Nocme]

Thankfully the guards backed off fairly soon, they just checked with their guns for a little while before retreating. Obviously this is one of the room the guy want to keep guest out of and thieves. He failed in the latter considering there are three hiding in the room and they couldn’t spot the one hidden behind the door or the potted plant behind. At least that’s what she think, otherwise they wouldn’t just close the door behind them and walk away.

Only when she couldn’t hear the footstep anymore and the girl finally walk up to her, only then Nocme let her breath go. She has to agree they probably outstayed their welcome. “Well considering there is too much racket from going through the vent I am using the door...” Really she has no other way to get out, and knowing Dace he would HATE to be in such small space. Still this got her curious, “how are you planning to get out?”

She in one way doesn’t want to escape the mansion with another person, that’s a huge liability that she couldn’t take. Not to mention there is a high chance the girl sabotage her in order to save herself. These are among the hundreds of reason she rarely work with any other thieves or assassins – too much backstabbing. Although Dace cawed a little, obviously wanting to point out that Nocme would have done the same thing as well. She said nothing, the other won’t understand Dace like she does anyway and there is nothing to counter.

Quietly she open the door again, slowly and steadily in case if someone comes along. She would still have ample time to slam the door shut and set up a trap in the room. Luckily there is no one in the corridor this time, she quickly left the safety of the room and walk down the corridor with a swift pace. Not outright running, that is going to trip some sensors for sure and also making guards suspicious. If the girl followed her, she won’t mind, but she isn’t really going out of her way to help her if trouble comes.

[Valeria]

Valeria mildly showed surprise in her eyes at hearing from the woman. “Interesting, I’ve never encountered problems with the vent before.” Either the bird was superb at hearing, or the woman had trained very well in the arts of thieving or assassination, something that she desired to have for a long time.

At the woman’s reply, she merely nodded. The bird did seem a little too big to fit through the vent. It would have trouble making its way from one end to another. On the other hand, she wouldn’t be able to sneak through the doors without key cards or a well-made lock pick.

“I’ll be –“.

She abruptly stopped when her eyes landed on the doorknob again. The woman had a key card, yet she identified herself as not one of the invited guests. Yet this office wouldn’t be the most secretive place in the whole building, as one placed in such an area where snipers can target. What could be so valuable here?

Something is definitely wrong with the new project. She would have to look for hints in the records later.

Hearing the bird caw once at the stranger, it indicated to her that they would leave soon. The woman faced her back towards her to open the door.

A master key with access to the rooms where only limited staff could enter, thus losing it would be a great threat to the greedy old man. If the woman had such an item, she could be the reason why the heavily-armed guards were deployed. With this in mind, there was a small smile on Valeria’s face before abruptly slipping past just as the door was closing.

“Actually,” she chuckled, “I’ve changed my mind. I’ll be doing my own treasure hunting in this building, with that key card you have.”

[Nocme]

Nocme eyed at the girl, then shrugged. Her objective is to get out without using the front door, and that needs the key card. At the same time she doesn’t want to hold on to it for too long. Who knows there are tracking devices hidden within the card, she doesn’t want to be caught out by it. If the girl is willing to work with her as she find the exit, she could just hand the card off to her and they can separate amicably.

It actually didn’t take her long to realise there are more guards now, the game must have begun as well. She spent most of her time hiding under furniture or room whenever someone’s step come along. There are a lot more of them as well, party goers are now roaming the mansion as well. Most of them in pairs with one guard with them, not as heavily armoured as the one that enter the room before but at least imposing enough that would deter any of the guest from wandering to where they shouldn’t be.

Which to be honest has become a pain, her process of going out is keep getting hampered. She is already lost as is with such a large building, but having to stop or switch path quickly keep throwing her off. Not to mention sometime she has to pull the other girl along just so she wouldn’t give away her position. Mostly because her hiding space still was not adequate cover.

In the end they have to enter another room, hastily used the key card on the nearest door and go in blindly. Just to get out of sight of a pair of guards coming down the stairs. Might be to their detriment they haven’t checked, but by the sound of silence and darkness, it might not be so. Apparently they have entered an archive or something, or even just a meeting room filled with files.

[Valeria]

While running past the guards, Valeria was able to keep up with ease. Now out of the dark, she can confirm that the bird was probably what she saw earlier near the dinner tables that evening. The woman had elvish ears, a body marked with a few scars and interestingly was dressed in comfortable attire, rather than the flamboyant clothing that most Roa women had. Like her bird, she also had scars that weren’t easily hidden. Unknown to them both, Valeria had a respect for people who weren’t living just for their outward appearance.

They were passing by rooms and halls with more guards and fancy-dressed participants. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to be any of the infamous name investors. It would have been a golden opportunity to eavesdrop for more information as she slid past people, but she was currently travelling with someone else. She never liked to cooperate with other people without a good reason, as there was always something to complain about.
For those who were invited or wearing by thick security uniforms, they were experiencing a different reality psychologically where the two women and a bird didn’t exist. Their sense of focus wouldn’t be shifted unless anything startling gained their attention. Relying on this, she could sneak within the range of the predicted camera system’s blind spot, and without having to crouch herself lower than she would have liked.

The thief didn’t like it though, as noted from her peeved face. If she wasn’t running when her face was so openly exposed to others, she would have mirrored the same facial expression every time she got pulled further behind a furniture.

Similarly, Valeria remained silent as they were passing doors which didn’t seem close to any potential exits. While sneaking past elevators, she took a glimpse of the floor plan, noticing that they were reaching the lower floors. The only thing that kept her within a cooperative mood was that she needed to make sure whether she needed the master key card.

In time, they found themselves in another room, entered in the heat of the moment when there were guards approaching from both sides. Both treaded softly, further in, to avoid making noise near the door.

There were a lot of files as gestured by the bird, but for the moment, none of them interested the black-haired girl, who had taken out her notebook and a pencil. Scribbling a name on a blank page, she pointed it to the elf.

“Before we head on, do you know anything about this guy?”


It wasn’t the only name that she knew who was involved in slave projects, and this woman could be one of the few underground individuals who may have some information.

[Nocme]

Nocme immediately shook her head. “Nope and don’t care,” all she wanted is getting food and then getting out. What the old guys does is not her problem. Her philosophy with work – particularly work from Maquina – the less she know the better. She just needs to know enough to get the target and get out without getting caught. The target’s background or history is of zero interest to her. So far this only come to bite her in the ass one time and it ended okay. Just some loose feather from Dace and a few years shaved off of her life span.

However they are stuck with a dilemma. It was obvious they are not working well, she has zero knowledge of the girl’s skill, and she has no idea just how much she could hear with her ears. Another thing is that she seems to know more about the place then she does, which irks her a little. The girl could just lead her out quickly so she can hand over the key card and begone from this place. Although Dace kindly reminded her that she has said nothing so there is no way the other party would know what she needs. Man... she hated interaction with human.

Still the biggest problem now is getting out. In this room there is no window and she could hear the pairs of guards just chatting outside the door. They don’t seem to have any intention to come in which was a blessing, however they are not leaving. Dace already grew bored hiding in her clothing. He squirmed out and immediately went deep into the room, a faint rustling can be heard as he seem to throw some files down to read. Nocme kind of regretted teaching the bird to read. Soon he would be able to learn to write as well if he continue with the learning curve.

Quietly she followed the bird in, wondering just what kind of file he take an interest. However the moment she saw those pictures, profile pictures of slaves, her stomach twisted. They are all so young, some barely reached the toddler age while some are just entering their teens. “She wouldn’t be among them,” she muttered quietly and picked up the file to return to its rightful place.

However those images did not leave her mind.

[Valeria]

She wasn’t surprised by the disappointing answer received. Like many other citizens, there was much ignorance of the undercurrent chaos in the society. Yet once again it was odd, that a woman of her age seemed to not even recognise the name, as if she was a foreigner.

Leaving both the elf and her bird aside, she walked around to a corner to take out her valued notebook and pencil. The page of where she had sketched the rough building structure was opened again, now with slightly more labels of the places she remembered. Card-reading was a skill she was exceptionally proud of in the game of gambling due to her good memory. It was because of such, it was sure that the places they had passed earlier were not good exit portals. Not fussed about the incomplete diagram, she flipped onto a new page and reverted her attention back to her phone.

The new project, revealed earlier tonight, indeed consisted of a series of new gambling games, a new iteration of the classics such as roulette, wheel of fortune or slots. A catch to all these games was that it would be a series of trained animals who decide the pot winner. Frowning at the information that reflected nothing illegal in Maquina, she temporarily lifted her eyes seeing the white bird grabbing a couple of files from the shelves of archives.

They looked innocently neat, well-bounded with a different colour to the office they had left. The bird was looking at it without moving, whilst his master scanned across the opened page in disgust.

At this, a new idea popped in her mind and she walked over close by, to look for any labels on the files, with the same name as the one she had seen back at the office. She was not disappointed when she stopped. Between the bounded leather, was pages of diagrams of machines, and encrypted writing. Knowing that no human would have any reason to remember how to decode it, there would definitely be a physical hint of how to decipher the coded writing.

By how desperate the elf seemed to have wanted to find the exit, she would have left this room if the outside was clear of inspecting eyes. If the guards were not going to enter anytime soon, she’ll have quite the time to work it out.

“Now, where could the encryption key be?”

[Nocme]

Nocme did not fail to hear the quiet words spoken by the other girl. Listening closely she could tell the guards are still there. So might as well pass the time somehow. Dace seems to get some idea and keep nudging her to look at more files. Something she was getting reluctant to do.

It was clear that most of the slaves were captured from raids. Mostly from her old home Vida, and they seem to always pick on anthropes or those that doesn’t look entirely human. It’s not something uncommon while she was at the village. She often heard the older ones in the village discussing it, wondering what they should do. Her tribe has even considered taking those responsible and sell them as their slave. It was a sentiment both her and her parents vehemently disagree. One of the many reasons they left.

Dace took a moment to glide over the girl’s head, just hovering long enough so he could read what she was reading. He constantly keep out of her reach just in case. Soon he flew back to Nocme’s shoulder, clicking his beak and cawing softly. It was enough for Nocme to know which file they need to look for. Next was actually looking for that file.

Based on what she know, it is something secretive and important. Which eliminate the middle shelves instantly, too open to be seen. Add on to the fact the girl ask whether she know the man, who was at least famed for his short stature and the fact his body guard has to constantly lift him up to get some high item or to make a loud announcement. She hoped they get paid a lot more for such a demeaning job. However knowing that height it would be unlikely the guy would place important file on top where he would need assistance in getting – it would draw too much attention.

This is why she begin searching the lower shelves. Opening each one quickly and putting them back. She doesn’t have to read anything in detail, just need the keywords. It actually didn’t take all that long for her to isolate a few files that are suspicious. Nothing concrete yet, or basically nothing that meant it was an encryption key. She can look at them again a little later, or leave it for the girl to check herself.

[Valeria]

It must have been more than a mere minute since the folder was opened, otherwise she wouldn’t be finding herself squatted beside the shelves.

Even if it the strings of letters seem to be mocking, some conclusions could be made. Compared to a regular business plan, the content was far too bulky. It would seem more likely that the content had to be collapsed, or letters omitted, to form into proper sentences. The encryption key in her mind formed into a sequence of numbers, or figures.

But, she reminded herself, the answer could always be something different from the usual puzzles.

On the other hand, a fair amount could be deduced from the pictures. Hollow eyes shadowed by eyebags, delicate feet of females bound tightly by white tape to prevent running, a barcode label with associate number – these fit the characteristics of a slave, yet they seemed a little well-dressed for a slave used for child labour or prostitution.

A little guess flashed in her mind, reflective of what was seen in the past. A door with four locks, window-less sound-proof walls, and the children who walked in with soulless eyes.

Suddenly, she straightened in her sitting position from the chill on her back. Blue eyes blinking to eye on the other occupants in the room, she was back in the reality of the archive room.

Focus back on the puzzle. Jumping too quickly into conclusions will skew observations.

She kept her eye on the bird who was perched on the shoulder of his companion, while she continued chanting a couple of the strings of letters in thought. The two switching between files and showing it to one another. By now, the focus on back on her problem had distracted her to notice of what they were looking at. If the key wasn't here, perhaps on something the owner kept personally close or hidden in a bizarre form. Perhaps the woman might even know.

[Nocme]

She already went through all the files, and nothing. Not even anything suspicious written in. It mostly just stupid pictures that made her stomach churn, but she read through them anyway because sometime they just scribble the code at uncommon places. Like the margin of the pictures. Ignoring the way all of the children look so lost and scared, knowing if they are not rescued they might as well be dead.

Dace look back at the other girl, observing her every move. Looking at the way she flip through the folders, some she found, some taken from the pile on the floor. Yet it seems she hasn’t got a clue on how to read it. To be fair he only recently learnt to read, so seeing some new words that he doesn’t understand don’t bother him. So he literally has no help there, his real purpose come from his occasional tweeting and the nuzzling of his beak against her cheek. She might refuse to show it – and most of it hidden carefully in the darkness of the room.

The duo paused simultaneously at the sudden shift of air. In a confide space with very little ventilation, they are always sensitive to the way air move around them. Her father attribute to her affinity to wind element. Nocme just think she is way too jumpy. Either way they saw the girl flinch and get into a stance that is too well known to those who hunt animals in Vida. A flight or fight response.

However before she can decide whether to call for the girl or take some other action. Dace straightened up, staring at the door. A small concentration later she could tell why the xavar was so excited. The guards finally stop yapping and they are parting ways. “Finally, thought they will not bloody hell leave...” she mumbled as she move to the door and press her ear to the door, double checking and making sure they are as far as possible. Although what she hear was disheartening.

“S-” Dace cawed loud enough to cover this word, “now all guards at all point of the building? Ugggggh might as well take out this old bag to create a diversion...”

[Valeria]

Her eyes hadn’t wandered to the documents opened, but her thoughts remained on the strings of letters, until she noticed the bird eyeing her again. Unfortunately, reading a bird’s eyes wasn’t something of a gambler’s forte, it would be unknown whether if it was glaring at her or not.

Suddenly the bird had lifted its white head enthusiastically, now facing the direction of where they entered. She momentarily stopped in response. There was now an eerie silence beyond the door, and the woman confirmed the guards had left as she listened at the door.

Like her bird, she seemed just as desperate to leave, from her impatience in wanting to leave. There was small caw from the bird, dampening her previous relieved face. It must have noticed something. Security was tightening at the common entrances, according to the woman. Despite this she seemed to have a plan.

If they were to leave this room, now would be a good time. "Oh? And how do you intend to take him down?" she asked curiously, wanting to see how well a professional thief can perform.

However with a glance at the archives, dark blue eyes had a doubtful look that she would have to compromise her current interest. This was far from the worst situations she has dealt with or have heard, evading past a wave of armour and fired bullets wouldn’t be too hard.

But, I need to find the encryption key.

She stood up from where the few documents lay opened while watching the two who were still by the door. Whatever plan they had for getting out, what they were going to do afterwards, or even their name was no interest to the currently single-minded Valeria.

“Hey,” her voice was only a whisper, but given how sensitive their ears, the duo should be able to hear. ”Before you leave, tell me this: the keycard that you stole, what’s the ID number and is there anything written or printed on it?”.

[Nocme]

She shrugged, she hasn’t exactly thought that far. Thankfully this serve as a good reminder and she grinned wicked with her bird. “Well we could always lift him up, like waaaaaaay up,” it might cause some other problem. However all she needed to do is to make the guards run around in panic for a good few minute. If she know the ventilation of the mansion it would be even better.

Nocme stopped with her trail of thought. Then quickly she took out the card to see. “Uhhh.... 169691ORGE...” she made no comment on why Dace is giggling like a school girl, “nothing much is printed on their other than the dude’s symbol.” She could tell the girl still searching for something. Something big hidden within the mansion and probably will earn her a lot of money. Many other thieves will try to take her target. Nocme and Dace couldn’t be screwed. In fact some mutually beneficial arrangement can be made.

“Look, I know you are still looking for something. I will hand you the key card if you let me see the map of the mansion, particularly on all the ventilation. We both could use a large mad panic among the guards,” her golden eye glow wickedly in the dark. Even Dace cawed in excitement. This would be the great prank on this upper class money bags. They need more excitement in their life anyway.

Quietly she also takes a few breaths in, feeling the air and the current flow. Just a few adjustment will snowball into a large effect, and if the dude is chasing down someone in a corridor with tall ceiling it would be hilarious. Even better if there are chandeliers or something ridiculously big fancy and useless on the ceiling or wall... Man she can’t wait to get started once she got all the info and prepare the safest route for execution.

[Valeria]

The second the ID number was read out, it was jotted down on the notebook. The last four letters seemed to be irrelevant, but 169691 seemed to be a reasonable prime number to use. From the soft giggling sounds from the bird, her eyebrows raised at it briefly as if it was insane. Not bothering to investigate further, her eyes began swiping through each line, while the right hand printed a decrypted character on her notebook.

The decryption algorithm wasn’t much different from the last she encountered here, allowing her to divert her attention a little. As the a short paragraph began to appear onto her notebook, the woman was proposing a plan a trade, information on the building layout for her key card, which was far from what she needed. She remained silent as the other woman finished lastly on the suggestion of a panic, inwardly cringing as she finished the last letter on that page.

“I don’t need that key card anymore. It’s probably what the guards are looking for anyway,” she huffed, then remembering that she hadn’t thanked the woman. “Pooling our information is fine, since you’ve given me the encryption key. And I’m not giving you a map – I don’t have one.”

She looked down at her scribbled page, the short summary of the real project Karnaval was enough to bring a triumphant smile on her face. This would be good blackmail material. She had found far more which was expected. Flipping back to the page where she had first sketched the building, holding it up to her eyes. “This building just renovated this week, they haven’t even organised the tours yet.”

As for the ventilation areas, there might have been only minor structural changes. Knowing it was related to the “mad panic” she was mentioning, Valeria was thoughtful for a moment. No time to explain about everything she knows. She wasn't sure if there would be any merit in telling them. Nor was there certainty of how successful her plan is. From the spark of mischief in their eyes earlier, it looked similar to a child playing door pranks on their neighbour.

“Alright,tell me your plan in detail. If it is convincing, I’ll consider cooperating.”

[Nocme]

Hearing that key card isn’t needed anymore, she immediately tossed it into the darkness. She has always suspected a tracking gps in the thing. Holding it for so long was just a game Dace convinced her to try out. See how long they could get the guards to go in a circle, literally. Yes she is aware it was a childish game, but the other girl will never know.

Though she is absolutely disappointed in having no map and she didn’t hide her groan either. Figures that the rich old bags renovates their house at the drop of a hat. Really they could use that money on something more important than adding new tiles to a roof over your head. Sleeping in cave is absolutely fine, and that includes grass, boats, back of the car and on giant migrating animals. Aethians are so weird.

Still it doesn’t sound too bad, renovation doesn’t usually disturb the foundation all that much and that’s where most major vents going to be located. Changing those things are expensive, thus it might still work if she could find one big enough to wiggle in and summon the air.

“Not much detail, I have power over wind, not a lot but if I can do it in one of the main shaft I could probably cause a resonance and make some pretty interesting noises. If not a huge whirlwind coming out of the vents that could knock a person off their feet seems like its worth it, ain’t it right?” Dace cawed happily. He already is planning to steal some shiny stuff from right under their noses.

“The thing is I rather do it somewhere that I could hightail very quickly,” mostly because the power would exhaust her quickly and she would rather be on her way and disappeared than being caught out and captured. That happened once and they have promised to never speak of that experience in the red light district again. “You can either help me get it done and I could leave and you grab whatever you want, or you leave and just... stay away from the vents.”

This is going to be wild

[Valeria]

Ignoring the small sparks of jealousy, there was a small nod at the woman’s magic affinity.

“I have no magic skills, but I am good at parkour. And, my greatest weapon would be this.” An index finger tapping her head lightly on the side.

The woman was sounding more like a prankster than an assassin as, what seemed like a plan confuse guards. The bird cawing enthusiastically perhaps made it seem more so. Valeria narrowed her eyes indignantly, unimpressed by the lack of detail. She waited when they exited out the archive room, facing the deserted stairs before whispering.  

“Your plan is very risky. The biggest shafts are connected to the main air conditioner systems on the roof, you’re going to think of a way to get there first.” she showed the opened drawn map to the elf and bird, before continuing to speak critically. “Then, let us assume you can knock over an armoured guard, you can’t guarantee they won’t recover immediately. Can you do something more destructive? And if you’re close to the exit, there’s no purpose exerting more magic.”

Having confidence causing an air pressure disturbance in the vent system of a ten floor building was no small feat, it was a wonder what a powerful magic user this woman was. Valeria had to admit, begrudgingly, that it was something to respect for. At the same time, there was always a small group of elite soldiers who would be less fazed for such an attack. The worst case was that the whole building was infested with the guards, and the participants have evacuated. If the latter was true, their tactics and actions would not be limited by the priority of ‘safety of guests’.

She mused over the thoughts, “If we’re going out with a bang, maybe we should act as terrorists.”

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